1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to I/O cards, and particularly to components of such I/O cards having mechanism for temporarily retaining with each other so that such I/O cards can be reliably and automatically assembled.
2. The Prior Art
I/O cards are popularly used in the computer field. The traditional I/O cards may be referred to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,242,310, 5,244,397, 5,313,364 and 5,413,490. As well known, the traditional I/O card includes an insulative frame sandwiched by two metal covers and having an internal PC therein wherein a 68 pins connector and at least one I/O connector are respectively positioned at two opposite ends of such I/O card, and mechanically and electrically connected to such internal PC board. Recently to lower the labor cost and save time, most I/O card manufacturers intend to have assembling of I/O cards done by a full reliable automation procedure. Most prior art I/O cards include the assembling steps having the internal PC board first mounted within the frame of the I/O card, and then the I/O connector and the 68 pins connector retained to the frame wherein the SMT (Surface Mount Technology) contact tails of such two connectors are properly pressed on and engaged with the circuit pads printed on the PC board. Consequently, the contact tails of the connectors are soldered onto the corresponding circuit pads on the PC board through a reflow process, thus completing the connection between the contact tails and the PC board. Anyhow, one disadvantage of this assembling is that the connectors lack the direct retention device with the PC board before their contact tails are permanently soldered onto the circuit pads. Understandably, any inadvertent impact imposed on such unassembled or un-soldered parts of the I/O card, may have the contact tails of the connectors misplaced with regard to the PC board in either lateral or vertical direction, and thus resulting in incorrect soldering between the contact tails of and the corresponding circuit pads.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an I/O card having retention mechanism for directly and also temporarily retaining the connectors in the right position with the internal PC board, thus assuring the successive proper and correct connection between the contact tails of the connector and the corresponding circuit pads of the PC board in a later reflow soldering process.